Ten of the best: the WA food products Russell Blaikie ‘Must’ have

Once you hear the favourite local finds of the head chef at Mt Lawley’s perennially popular Must Winebar, you'll hightail it to your closest gourmet grocer to make yourself the best dang cheese toastie you've ever had.

And what's more, as he says, you'll be feeling good about it as you take your first bite, because your consumer dollar will be going direct to pay off the mortgage of one of your fellow sandgropers.

And he has prevailed to reveal his secrets in honour of the Royal Agricultural Society’s annual Perth Royal Food Awards – well under way for 2019, with meats, pantry, sausage and smallgoods winners announced Friday night.

Advertisement

Loading

Asked to provide a list of products that both have previously won at the Royal Food Awards and are regularly used at Must, he didn't have to think too hard.

“This may be unusual as chefs are renowned for keeping secrets, but there’s no benefit in keeping a great producer or grower a secret,” he said.

“We need people to buy those products and get them into homes and on plates around WA.

“I am a farm boy from Cowaramup, it’s in my DNA.

“The food awards are a conduit to telling the stories of great produce and producers to the WA public ... and restaurateurs.

“That’s the best thing as a chef, to know I’m not spending money buying prawns from a sludge pond in Vietnam or God knows where.

“That spending that money helps pay people’s mortgages.

“Every cent you spend with a local producer goes into our economy and it helps us all. Buying an import you will never get that benefit, that form of paying it back and paying it forward.”

Blaikie said the awards were growing in stature.

“I am noticing these RAS awards getting more and more producers entering, getting a lot more traction and gaining in weight in WA and nationally,” he said.

“When we go into a supermarket or buy food we want a guarantee that that food is going to be the most delicious bang for our buck. A gold or high award at these food awards can give you that form of guarantee.”

Without further ado: A top 10 of products Blaikie loves, all of which have previously won Perth Royal Food Awards

Mary Street Bakery – artisan bread (“Really good sourdough bread, using high quality flour, plenty of time in the development of the dough. They are patient bakers and patient bakers are the best. When you give it time, patience, prove the doughs overnight you get incredible texture and quality of crumb.”)

Harvey Beef – pasture fed/grain-fed beef

Plantagenet Pork – free range pork

Dellendale Creamery – cheese (“I love all their cheeses; we have their Peaceful Bay Gruyere and Torrindinup Appenzelle regularly on our cheese plate”)

Cambray – cheese (“Every cheese they make is amazing”)

Mundella Yoghurt – Yoghurt (“I use Mundella Yoghurt at home and Must, for all our cooking and for coffee”)

Postcode Honey – honey (creamed karri honey 6258, Warren River)

Princi Smallgoods – pancetta

Miami Bakery – pies

North Street Store Cottesloe – baguette (“It’s a good idea to look further into each producer’s portfolio... the North Street Store does amazing breads").